Preparation

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Cut corn bread into 1/2-inch cubes and in 2 large shallow baking pans bake in middle of oven until just dry, about 20 minutes. Transfer corn bread from 1 pan to a large bowl and in pan toast pecans in oven until insides are golden, 10 to 20 minutes.

Halve leeks lengthwise and then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. In a bowl of cold water wash leeks well and lift from water into a sieve to drain. Chop celery. In a 12-inch skillet cook leeks and celery in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderately low heat, stirring, until leeks are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove sausage from casings and break into small pieces. Add sausage to leek mixture and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until sausage is cooked through.

In a small heavy saucepan cook cranberries with sugar over moderately high heat, stirring, 5 minutes, or until some begin to burst. Chop parsley.

To bowl of corn bread add remaining corn bread cubes, pecans, sausage mixture, cranberries, parsley, broth, and salt and pepper to taste and toss together. Cool stuffing completely. Stuffing may be made up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring stuffing to room temperature before proceeding.

For cooking stuffing inside poultry:

Any frozen poultry destined for stuffing should be completely thawed, and the stuffing itself brought to room temperature before it's put into the turkey. Do not stuff your bird the night before you cook it; such a seeming time-saver can have dangerous results. Instead, it is best to loosely fill the bird's neck and body cavities immediately before roasting. And always use a meat or instant-read thermometer: The meat is done when the temperature of the thickest part of the thigh (be careful not to touch the bones) reaches 180°F.; the stuffing baked inside the bird is done at 160°-165°F. After roasting, let your stuffed poultry stand 15 to 20 minutes, a double assurance that the requisite temperatures for food safety have been reached.

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Reviews

Made this for a Friendsgiving and it was great - one of the best stuffings I've had. I kept the cover on the whole time so it would stay moist. I omitted the nuts (nut allergy) and added caramelized onions.
The recipe is excellent as is but if I were to make it again I would cut back on half the cranberries and double the sausage. I don't typically love Thanksgiving fare but this dish gives me a reason to look forward to next year.

This is by far my family's favorite stuffing recipe. I've been making it for about 8 years now, and it's definitely a tradition now. I use two boxes of Jiffy cornbread, Italian sausage (sweet & hot), and, after forgetting to toast them the first time, never toast the pecans - they come out lovely soft and creamy like chestnuts without the hassle. I also like to add a good helping of Bell's Seasoning, as it really works to tie the dish in with all of the Thanksgiving flavors of the turkey and other sides. I assemble everything the day before with the exception of the stock. I add extra broth because I like to cook this early Thanksgiving morning and reheat in the oven before dinner. The extra broth ensures it doesn't get too dry.

This has been a favorite in my family for 5 years now, was so glad to have found the recipe. My husband is allergic to pecans, so we use water chestnuts instead. I make it outside of the turkey. There's rarely leftovers!

Made this for Thanksgiving after much deliberation... I adore my moms recipe for dressing but decided to try something new. The whole time I prepared it, I was worried I'd made a mistake. The cranberries were SO tart, I'd used a gluten free cornbread recipe, wasn't sure about the italian sausage instead of standard pork. But the end result was REALLY wonderful. I loved it. The presentation also makes this a very special dish.

Everyone loves this stuffing! Followed the recipe except: used two Jiff loaves of corn bread, 1 pound of Italian sausage and 3 cups of chicken broth. Make everything a day ahead except the broth. Add the broth the next day right before baking.

I made this for our family Thanksgiving last night and everyone loved it. Changes that I made to the recipe: I purchased baked cornbread and mixed it with half Italian country bread (Pugliese). I also used half spicy sausage and half regular, and I used a whole onion instead of leeks. Next time I make this I will use all spicy sausage, add some fresh sage. The mix of breads was a good call.

I have been making this stuffing since 1998. This is now my standard stuffing. I get so many requests for this stuffing, that I make it sometimes just because my family loves it! It is so good, a must try! :)

I hosted my first Thanksgiving, and this stuffing was a favorite. I had made corn muffins and they didn't come out of the pan whole, so stuffing was actually Plan B. The fresh cranberries add a nice contrast, sweet Italian sausage took care of the spices, and those corn muffins got a second life. I should have let some of the cubes of cornbread bake a bit longer so they'd hold their shape - they came out as delicious mush.

I used this recipe as a guide and it was phenomenal. I used hot sausage, a golden sweet cornbread recipe, shallots and scallion, dried cranberries, pecans and fresh thanksgiving herbs. I threw in a couple of eggs to keep it together. it was great - can't wait for leftovers!

I used this recipe when I was hosting my very first Thanksgiving and it was AMAZING. Easy to make and a bit hit with everyone there--and I had a lot of people to please. I promise if you try it, you'll love it!

See that some have had problems with the recipe, I've made it several times and keep coming back to it. May try a trick or two from here to moisten it up but it hasn't been bone dry but not as moist as our white bread stuffing (family recipe) that we always make along side this one.

I have served this
for the last two
Thanksgivings and my
family continues to
rave. I use hot
Italian sausage and
half corn bread/
half herb white
bread stuffing
(prepackaged).
Don't short the nuts
or cranberries!

I've been trying to perfect this recipe for quite some time. Here's what I've discovered so far: 1/The cornbread is key; make sure you make this with a cornbread recipe you really like. Don't use the recipe given here, unless you like your cornbread coarse and dry. 2/Play with the ingredient amounts until you find the balance you like. 3/Use dried, sweetened cranberries instead of fresh, unless you like tart cranberry flavor. 4/Consider using 1/4 to 1/2 dried bread along with the cornbared. 5/Make sure your dressing is *really* moist before cooking. I finally added a lot more bouillon this year, thinking I'd added too much... and it was perfect. 6/If you like your dressing soft and fluffy, add an egg or two. I did that this year, and it brought this recipe close to perfect. Can't wait to try it again next year, with a better cornbread recipe. Oh, cut the corn/bread cubes small.

This receipe, accidently found in our
perennial quest for the best stuffing
ever, has become the family favorite of
3 generations. Our quest is now over -
and this receipe continues to be passed
down as a family tradition.

We love this
stuffing! I started
with the original
recipe in 2000 and
have tried
variations every
year since then.
Our favorite is to
use Portuguese or
Spanish dried
Chorizo instead of
the Italian
sausage. I make the
cornbread recipe
suggested using 1/2
white sugar and 1/2
brown for a bit
more flavour. You
do have to watch
the pecans when you
toast them. I
usually try 300
degrees for 8-10
minutes, watching
carefully after 8.
It is our
Thanksgiving staple
now.

This is the first
stuffing I've ever
made and everyone
really enjoyed it.
The
recipe made a huge
amount, but the
leftovers
disappeared quickly.
I used Tofurky
Italian sausage
instead of the real
deal and it still
turned out great. If
you want to make
this veg, the
tofurky italian
sausage is
definitely the best
veggie sausage
I've come by.

This was a last
minute Thanksgiving
selection, and
everyone absolutely
loved this recipe.
Easy to make and
the cranberries
provide an
unexpected zing.
Short on time, I
used a mix for the
cornbread, and it
was still
fabulous. This one
is going into my
keeper files.

So good. I had
never made or had
cornbread stuffing,
so I may not be the
best person to
vouche for it, but
it really was good.
Multiple people
remarked how
appetizing it looked
with all of the
colors. So pretty
and very good.

I couldn't find any
chestnuts last year,
so I didn't make my
usual chestnut
stuffing, which is
delicious but a pain
to make. This was
much simpler and it
was a huge hit. A
family member who
normally does not like
stuffing has asked me
to make it again, so I
will. Goodbye,
chestnuts!